Tuesday, November 18, 2014

I have wanted a bold marquee light for my office for years now....but I seriously couldn't decide on what I wanted, and never wanted to spend upwards of $200 to get a metal one! I also didn't want to make one out of a cardboard letter from the craft store because that honestly scares me with lights and cardboard. (nervous nelly here!)

I ran into target the other day and was SOOO excited when I saw that they had their Christmas Marquee items back out and I KNEW I wanted the heart! Last year I purchased the star, and I LOVED it and have regretted putting it away with my Christmas decorations all year!

I put the heart out in my office and it just kind of looked BLAH against my gray walls or my cork board....so I took out some red paint and just went to down! Zero prep, zero second guessing....I just went to work. I AM SOOOOO HAPPY THAT I DID!!!!!!!!

I just honestly went right to town painting. Looking back, I SHOULD have taped off each of the little bulbs...but I didn't. I just painted on them and then rubbed it off once it had all dried.

I wanted it to still look old and show that it was metal, so I just did one light coat of paint. I even took a clean brush and brushed off some of the paint so that you could see the brush marks. Paint as much as you would like, it's really just a personal preference.

THAT'S IT!!!!!!!!!

For only $15 you now have a real metal marquee sign with your own custom paint job! I could totally see this heart in a coral pink in a nursery!

It has a hole on the top of the heart to hang on the wall....but I wanted mine to be more of a casual piece to showcase my favorite pics on my bulletin board.

I totally plan on painting the star and NOEL signs that I purchased last year, and might surprise my daughter with a lime green "Joy" sign.

Thursday, November 13, 2014

I have a serious problem when I go shopping for home decor! I find things that I LOVE and generally just tell myself, "oh wow, I could totally make that and save myself some serious cash!" I never get around to making the item.......and then I forget about it and go on my merry way!

WELL......I have wanted the pom pom garland from Anthropologie FOREVER and just couldn't bring myself to pay the $35 for it KNOWING that I could whip one up in a mater of minutes. (or an hour) Yesterday I packed my "carline goody bag" full of yarn, crochet hook, and scissors and made it happen! For literally $5 I made garland that makes me so beyond happy! SUCCESSFUL CAR PICK UP LINE DAY FOR ME!!!!!!!

What you will need:

Yarn (you can really use any yarn, I used a thinner yarn for the yellow-ish garland and a thicker wool yarn for the gray and white. I think they both look great!)

Scissors (sharp for trimming the pom pom balls)

Crochet hook (optional)

There are a million tutorials on how to make the pom poms, and they include making tools to make the perfect pom pom! When I get into a project.....I want it done NOW and I don't want to fuss with making a tool to make a project! I basically just measured out 100 inch pieces of yarn and then wrapped it around my pointer and middle finger as many times as it would allow. (keeping it loose) If you have a child around......get them to help you tie a smaller piece of yarn around the middle of your bundle OR you can just fidget with it and wrap it yourself. IT DOES NOT HAVE TO BE PERFECTLY EVEN...you can give it a trim later.

Once you have tied a smaller piece around the middle you just stick your scissors in the loop section and cut! This makes tiny little pom pom balls! I actually made a lot of white balls and plan on filling vases with them in hopes that they look like little snowballs.

This is the time where you trim the edges to make the ball look even all around. DO NOT TRIM THE TWO LARGER STRINGS HANGING......THOSE ARE HOW YOU WILL TIE IT TO YOUR GARLAND PIECE!

To make the garland you can either crochet one straight line.....OR you can seriously just braid it! Just make sure that it isn't just one strand of thread because that makes it kind of look wimpy hanging on your mantel.

Measure out the distance that you want the balls to hang....and then just use the longer threads to tie them on!!!!!!! Cut the extra yarn and.......TADA!!!!!!!!!!

I love the texture that it adds to my Wall-O-Photos when you walk into our home!

I made this garland with Thanksgiving in mind! At first I was kind of bummed that it was a smaller garland....but now I LOVE the size! It is simple and just appears to be festive! I mean, who really wants yellow "snowballs" hanging in their home!?!

I played around and added some in Kacey's room! She is trying super hard to take the "little girl" out of her room....and I pretty much love her style! I wish it was my room!!!!!

I think todays carline will include trying to make enough "snowballs" to make this baby!

DON'T FORGET TO SHARE PICS IF YOU MAKE IT....AND TAG US ON INSTAGRAM! (#saseadecor @kcsnead)

Wednesday, November 12, 2014

It is really not a secret that I am obsessed with Pajamas, flannel, and all things cozy! I have tried my best to pass this along to my children and encourage my husband that life is generally better as long as you have your pajamas on! They tend to laugh at me.....EXCEPT at Christmas! They do give me the gift of loving and enjoying the Christmas pajamas that I get for them each year!

My parents used to give us Christmas Pj's every Christmas Eve, and that was a tradition that I continued on until Kacey was about 4. I quickly realized that it is MUCH BETTER to open your new Pajamas the day after Thanksgiving so that you can enjoy them leading up to Christmas! You can watch all of your festive movies, have sleepovers, drive around looking at lights IN your new pajamas instead of after the holiday!

I used to buy the kids entire matching outfits...but lately we just go with new flannel pants and then wear our favorite Christmas shirts! My favorite part is wearing them all day for for and festive parties......then coming home and wearing them to bed! (don't judge....they are THAT cozy!)

I may have "surprised" myself with these new Pj's this year too! When we were 18....Chad came snowboarding with my family one winter and we all stayed in a hotel room. Chad came out of the bathroom with red thermal one piece pajamas and my parents STILL laugh about it! Just trying to bring back the style!

ANOTHER Pajama Tradition.......making the kids sit down and pose for pictures before they can run in and see what Santa brought for them! This picture cracks me up because Kacey could not sit still!

HA!!!!!! Chad couldn't resist pulling out his elf shirt for the 100th time! This picture just shows sheer joy, exhaustion, and excitement! Totally gets me in the holiday spirit!!!!!!!

DON'T FORGET....BUY TWO HOLIDAY SHIRTS AND GET ONE FREE SANTA TOTE IS STILL ON THRU FRIDAY!

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

I have always collected different wine glasses! I feel like it is less stressful when people come over, nobody has to be worried if they break a glass because it doesn't belong to a set, and I just like to shop for wine glasses! I made halloween wine glasses for my friends/neighbors about 5 years ago and I was worried that the paint would not last.....but we are still all drinking from them every Halloween so I am convinced they are the best $1 glasses of all time!

These babies literally took me 30 minutes to make.....and I plan on giving them with a bottle of wine to every holiday party we attend this season! My FAVORITE thing to do when giving a gift is to always add a little something that has a personal touch, does not come with a price tag, and makes them think of you when they use it.

What You Will Need

*Craft Paint (I used Martha Steward because I generally like the colors she offers better)

*Adhesive stencils (mine were purchased 5 years ago at Michaels, but I am sure they still have them)

*Sponge Brush

*Wine Glasses (I purchased these babies for $1 and I LOVE the size, the feel AND mainly the price)

*Bottle of Wine to sip while you paint!

The adhesive stencils are the BEST part because they stay in place....you can stick them over and over again without waiting for the paint to dry.....and then just wash them off and stick them back in the bag for next year.

You do not have to be perfect with the placement because you will see the designs on the other side of the glass as well. You can just use your fingernail to scratch off any mistakes...NO WORRIES!

I always wash wine glasses by hand because I have had entirely too many break in the dishwasher....but these DO need to be hand washed! The paint will scratch if you wash it with a rough sponge, so I just use a washcloth and have had zero issues!

I forgot to post these last week, but I took these pictures of Collin on the morning of his 8th birthday! I can't get over how old my baby boy is! When did this happen and why won't it all just slow down!

He got this new bat for his birthday and was literally saying "okay, take my picture like this!" ha! (please excuse the weeds....we do NOT have a green thumb in this house)

I made suer to wear my Thank Full shirt because that is EXACTLY how I feel.....FULL of all types of Thanks!

These two seriously make Chad and I so beyond proud! We rushed around all day on Collin's 8th birthday between lunch dates, bringing popsicles for his class, picking my mother in law up at the airport, Chinese food (his bday request), cake at home, soccer practice......and then home to crash! These were the only pics I managed to grab that day....but they sure do make me smile!

Wednesday, November 5, 2014

I always love seeing how people style their clothes, and ESPECIALLY our shirts! I look forward to being tagged in every picture this season and getting inspiration from everyone! I thought prior to sending all of our holiday goodies out, I would make a quick board of how I plan on styling each one of our designs. I am hoping to do a few of them a week!

I decided to start with the green reindeer sweatshirt because it was my favorite sweatshirt last Christmas! I receive emails on a weekly basis asking me to bring this baby back! It doesn't SCREAM Christmas, it feels more like a winter themed sweatshirt in my opinion!

When I think of winter, I really only think about layers and how I can possibly make my outfit feel as close to pajamas as possible!!! I will go to great lengths to feel a piece of clothing before I buy it JUST so that I can be sure that I will be comfy all day long! This whole outfit SCREAMS comfort.....and yet I can still wear it to volunteer, or all around town! BONUS!

I have also been LIVING in this Bra Off sweatshirt! I literally have it laying on the chair next to my bed at all times, and the second I drop the kids off at school....I put it on and wear it until I have to pick them up! It is beyond cozy, and my house seems to always be cooler than it is outside the time of year!

I have been a total slacker lately when it comes to reading! I used to read every single night, but lately I am just so tired that I can't even muster up the energy to pick up a book when I finally go to bed. This past weekend our power went out, and it totally blew our cable....so we have been without internet access (thank god for my phone being a hotspot) or internet! I immediately went to target and picked out a book! This book totally looked festive, and I generally buy books based on the cover. It was really an eye opening book, and I HONESTLY think that everyone needs to read it to get in the right mindset this holiday season! It will make you cry, and laugh, and want to hug your family so tight!!!!!! I literally stayed up for hours and finished the book in one night because I just needed to know what happened! IT'S GOOD!

Don't forget to tag us (instagram @kcsnead or #saseadecor) on how you have styled our gear!!!!!

Tuesday, November 4, 2014

Some of you may know that we opened a NEW shop this past weekend to launch our holiday gear! I am totally NOT jumping ship on etsy because I lOVE etsy, I just wanted to do this shop in addition! I love how clean it looks, and I am able to do coupon codes on specific items, which is what I have wanted to do for years!

I am launching our Christmas goodies and did my best to listen to to all of the fun requests and added the red reindeer THIN pullover with slits on the side that basically make it a LIVE IN DAILY shirt! I have also added children and infant sizes to the reindeer because so many of the requests wanted to add something in addition to their Santa shirts from last year! I hope you LOVE them as much as I do!

We are offering a 15% off coupon for all items purchased by this friday (November 7th) with the code "earlybird". We also have flat rate shipping on US addresses at $5 which makes it easier to load up on gifts without watching shipping rates go up! (I do try to send orders with three or more items via Priority mail)

We also have a few other new goodies that are the PERFECT addition to your own closet, or as a gift for your favorite friend/friends. I can guarantee you that EVERY single shirt that I sell is SOFT, COZY, RELAXED, AND STYLISH! I test out every shirt over and over prior to adding to my shop to make sure that I LOVE it! (I am sort of a sweatshirt snob!)

Every single one of these sweatshirts are on REPEAT in my life! We have had crazy weather this fall in Florida, and the days start in the mid 40's......reach 80 during the day......and back down to the 40's at night! I have to have at least one sweatshirt in my car at all times so that I can just grab it and go if it gets chilly! I did get caught wearing my Bra Off shirt at the grocery store the other day and received a LOT of smiles.

I TOTALLY forgot to add this discount to all of our preorders that purchase two or more items! They will receive a FREE tote bag with the cutest Santa EVER screen printed right on the front! (will sell later for $15 in shop) This is the PERFECT gift bag, carryall bag for the entire month of December, or grocery bag! There is NO promo needed....and if you purchased two items in our new shop prior to this post....don't worry! I will be sending you this bag as well!

Please let me know if you have ANY questions!!!!!!!! So stinking excited about all of these goodies and am wondering if it is acceptable to decorate my house for Christmas now that Halloween is over?!

Monday, November 3, 2014

I am pretty bummed that the Halloween fun is over...and I have already packed up all the decorations! We had a super fun weekend and I am pretty positive that every single Halloween should be on a Friday night....followed by daylight savings on Saturday night! It only makes sense!

Our Halloween started out with the Elementary Book Parade! I have been volunteering in class all year and for the past few weeks we worked on making tie dye shirts and masks to be Wilber from Charlottes web! The kids loved it...and I am pretty sure Collin cheered "Zuckerman's Famous Pig" for a solid hour as he walked around the Bus Loop!

Kacey's class was in charge of dressing up as the person that they picked for their Bibliography report. She did her report on Marin Luther King Jr. and I am pretty sure she nailed it! She had no idea she would have to dress the same as her report, or else she said she would have picked a soccer player. :) (And I totally had to ask my 10 year old daughter if I could PRETTY PLEASE post these pics of her! She is anti social media now that her friends are all on it!)

Kacey decided to be "spider girl" because she REALLY wanted this Under Armour shirt. :) Pretty genius of her to turn it into her costume, and a reason for us to buy it for her! She was VERY specific with the face paint, and I was SOOO excited with how it turned out that I completely forgot to take a closeup shot!

Collin wanted to be his all time favorite baseball player, Bryce Harper. He has planned this since this summer, and had originally decided on being "Bryce Harper Zombie" and then when I took him to the store to check out the face paint that it involved....he backed out really fast! He is NOT into blood and guts, and I am totally okay with that! The HARDEST part of this costume was having my son, with VERY long hair, tell me that he wants it to look shaved on the side, and a slicked mohawk....WITHOUT a ponytail to hold it all back! Let's just say that I used almost an entire bottle of hairspray....but he was THRILLED with the outcome so I call it a success!

This guy is the BEST! He totally lets me go crazy for holidays and never gets annoyed or judges how I want to have it all JUST RIGHT!

I woke up the next day to find this picture on my phone! I guess SOME WITCHES CAN'T HANG! I MEAN.....it was a late night....and the wine was good! I was just exhausted after all of the prep work!

We had to be up at 6:00 to get dressed and head out to Collin's Halloween tournament. The mom's all met at practice and made these Minion costumes, complete with their numbers on the back! Turns out....we are the only cool team that actually dressed up for the games! I should have known we would go undefeated just by their lack of festive costumes!

It was COLD and WINDY all weekend long!!!!!! We spent countless hours at Collin's 4 baseball games, Kacey's one soccer game, and trying to stay warm!

Collin's team WON the tournament and at 8:30 Sunday night....we were FINALLY able to relax and unwind from a crazy busy festive weekend!!!!!! I am exhausted just thinking about it all over again.....and that we will be doing the EXACT same thing next weekend.